Windshield wiper blade assemblies combining windshield scrubbing and wiping functions are well known. Such blade assembles are designed to remove road grime, insect debris, light frost and the like from the windshield of a motor vehicle such as an automobile or truck. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,593 discloses a wiper assembly including at least one wiping or squeegee blade of generally standard configuration and a scrubbing element in the form of a mesh covered, flexible tubular member formed integrally with the wiping blade as a one piece extrusion. The mesh may be secured to the surface of the tubular member in various ways, for example, by adhesive bonding.
Combined scrubbing and wiping blade assemblies of the prior art have several drawbacks. For example, there is a tendency for these blade assemblies to leave streaks on the windshield. This is a result, in part, of the wiping blade lifting off he windshield surface during a portion of the windshield wiper cycle. Further, where adhesives are used to bond the mesh to an underlying support surface, the adhesive eventually dissolves as a result of the action of windshield wiper fluid additives. Still further, debris from the windshield surface tends to accumulate in and clog the interstices or openings of the mesh and there is no provision for the removal of the debris therefrom.
Accordingly, it is an overall object of the present invention to provide an improved windshield wiper assembly having a scrubbing blade and at least one wiping blade for efficiently removing debris from a windshield.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a windshield wiper assembly including a scrubbing element capable of removing debris from a windshield without leaving streaks.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved windshield wiper assembly including a mesh covered scrubbing element in which the mesh is secured in such a way that it is impervious to windshield wiper fluids and the like.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved windshield scrubbing and wiping assembly which provides for the removal of debris from the scrubbing element and thus effectively eliminates the accumulation of such debris in the interstices of the mesh.